As you may have gathered from my previous articles in this series, I’m slightly obsessed with the history behind our favorite shows. Fun fact: before I worked at GBH, I studied the history of science and medicine, so I couldn’t help but devote this episode's coverage to hysteria, laudanum, and mental healthcare in the 1800s, all topics that show up in period dramas all the time. Grab your smelling salts: we’re diving in!

I’m guessing that a lot of you reading this article aren’t new to the period drama game, but even if you are, you might have noticed that a weirdly large proportion of the discussion around these shows tends to hone in on one area: the costumes. I, too, enjoy discussing interesting outfits, so this time, we’ll be breaking down the clothing on Sanditon. Is it historically accurate? Sort of. Is it beautiful? Undoubtedly.

If you still clicked on this article despite the horrible pun in the headline, I applaud your valor. This week, we’re talking about something that’s been bugging me, a nerd, this entire season: what’s up with our resident men in uniform? Any Austen fan will tell you that a story in need of enlivening must be in want of an influx of eligible gentlemen, so adding our boys in red for Sanditon season 2 made a lot of sense. But how accurate is the portrayal of the regiment? Read on for answers:

In episode 2, we got to enjoy an elegant dinner party (complete with some… disloyal entertainment), witnessed the return of one of my favorite shady characters from last season, and joined Charlotte for the first days at her brand new governess job. Given that I’m not a moody teen in the 1800s, I didn’t know a whole lot about actual governesses beyond what I’ve seen in “Jane Eyre” and The Sound of Music. How realistic is Sanditon’s portrayal of the governess lifestyle? And what’s so bad about being a spinster anyway? Fret not, gentle reader: I did the research for all of us.

Given what we knew about the returning cast for this season, I can’t say I’m totally surprised that Sidney has died off screen, but still, ouch: I know a lot of people (IRL and in Sanditon) are very upset. While we wait to unpack the mystery of why he took his fateful trip to Antigua in the first place, you may be wondering: what’s the deal with yellow fever anyway? Glad you asked! Here's the story:

Ridley Road is a four-part miniseries based on Jo Bloom’s novel by the same name and historical records. The series takes place in London in 1962 — parallel to Season 6 of Call The Midwife — but Ridley Road shows the side of British politics and religion other period dramas ignore. The first episode not only introduces the main characters but also gives viewers the most important historical facts necessary to understand the rest of the series.

Last week ended on a bit of a somber note, and I know Sister Monica Joan, at least, shares my low key constant worry that something bad is going to happen in the next two episodes. However, the rest of the squad seems pretty chill, with the exception of young Timothy Turner, who’s returned from school wretchedly sick. By contrast, Lucille is looking a whole lot better, smiling broadly as she meets up with the rest of the group at Nonnatus. Before they can start their day, Boots reads the latest headline regarding the 1967 Abortion Act.

How are we somehow at the season 2 finale already?? I don’t want to accept it, but alas: we must. While I get bummed out about the wait we’ll have until season 3, Charlotte debriefs her lady friends on the whole Mystery Dad vs. Colonel No Service situation: Mystery Dad is good, and we all now hate Colonel No Service! Georgiana and Hurricane Heywood are both mortified: what a misunderstanding! And they encouraged Charlotte to hang out with Colonel No Service! OH NO!

Thankfully last week wasn’t as explosive as it could have been, but we’re still down two members of our squad in an already pretty understaffed group. Should. Be. Interesting. While our nun friends head to morning prayers, and the Turner parents see Tim off for his return to school, Lucille, very understandably, appears to have not slept at all. It’s her first day back at work after her miscarriage, and her colleagues welcome her with sad smiles that the normally effervescent Lucille is barely able to return. But there’s no time for emotional upheaval: with Phyllis and Trixie out of the country, Sister Hilda is in charge, and she’s determined to run a very tight ship.

Throughout Sanditon Season 2, Georgiana has been urging the guests and permanent residents of Sanditon to stop using sugar produced by West Indian plantations. Last season on Sanditon, Georgiana confronted Lady Denham for glorifying another product of slavery and colonialism: the pineapple. A rematch was inevitable as Lady Denham is still an unrepentant "Lady Karen" and Georgiana has gained a marked degree of self-assuredness in her position and power as the town’s richest resident. It may surprise fans to learn that Georgiana’s public confrontation of Lady Denham at the garden party in Episode 4 has more basis in history than one might expect.